Grab iron or ladder rung



July 7, 1931. s. s. CHILES GRAB IRON OR LADDER HUNG Filed March ,5.1929' //\/v,6/vroe 660 966 6. (IA/(LE6,

Patented July 7, 1931 of a freight car body equipped with grab ironsabove described can be constructed easily and 65 at a low cost from afiat plate or strip ofmetal UNITED STATES GEORGE S. GHILES, OF ST'.LOUIS, MISSOURI Assrenon T0 soULiinv STEEL COMPANY,

, OF'ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE GRAB IRON 0R LADDERRune- Application filed March 5,

This invention relates to grab irons and ladders of the kind that areused on freight cars. I I

The main object of my inventionis to pro- Vide a grab iron or ladderrung for freight cars that is exceptionally strong and rigid, light inweight and inexpensive to manufacture. r p Another object is to providea sheet metal grab iron or ladder rung of the character above described,that 'has integral portions for attaching it to a supporting structure.I

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational view or ladder rungs constructed.in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of one of said grab irons. I f

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of said gralb iron, looking at theinner side ofsame; an 7 Figure 4 is an end elevational view of said grabiron. I In the accompanying drawingswhich illustrate the preferred formof my invention, A designates one wall of a freight car body and Bdesignates grab irons or ladder rungs that are attached to said wall.Said grab irons or ladder rungs are formed from sheet metal and each oneof said members comprises a substantially tubular, bar-like portion 1provided at its opposite ends with integral devices that perform thedualfunction of spac ing devices and attachingdevices. In the preferred formof my invention, as herein i1 lustrated, the combined spacing andattaching devices just referred toconsist of substantially L-shapedmembers whose legs 2 are disposed at substantially right angles to thetubular, bar-like portion 1 and whose legs 3 are disposed'insubstantially parallel relationship to said tubular, bar-like portion 1.The legs 3 are adapted to bear against the wall A of the car body andare provided with holes 3 for receiving fastening devices 3' thatpenetrate into or project through the wall of the car body. I

At the ends of the bar-like portion 1 of my improved grab iron or ladderrung are inclined end walls 4; that form in effect closures whichcarries it.

1929. Serial No. 344,472.

5 on the end walls of the tubular, bar-like portion 1.

A grab iron or ladder rung of the'design by a die-shaping or pressingoperation. It is ofless weight and of less cross-sectional area than agrab iron or ladder rung formed from a solid bar, but nevertheless, itis stronger and more rigid than the conventional solid grab irons andladder rungs now used on freightjcars. While I have herein illustratedmy invention, embodied in a grab iron or ladder rung that is providedwith inl' tegral portions which are used to hold it in spaced relationand also to connect it directly to the carbody on which it is used, Iwish it to'be understood that it is immaterial, so far as my broad ideais concerned, what means so or method is used to attachsaid grab ironorladder rungto the supporting structure Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentis: I

1. A grab iron orv ladder rung for freight 7 cars, consisting of apressed metal member. having a substantially tubular, bar-like portionwhose ends are closed by inclined end walls that merge into spacingdevices which are disposed at-substantiallyright angles to said bar-likeportion, and laterally-projecting flanges on said spacing devices.

2. A grab iron or ladder rung for freight cars formed from a flat plateorstrip of metal that is pressed or die-shaped so as to produce abar-like member of substantially tubular sitely-inclined end walls,substantially L- shaped devices integrally connected with said end Wallsfor attaching the rung t0 the car and holding the bar-like member ofsame spaced away from the car, and pressed reinforcing ribs in said endwalls and L-shaped devices.

GEORGE S. CHILES.

